Lucknow: A 36-year-old woman who had been admitted to a govt hospital in Hardoi after an alleged assault by her husband was later taken away on the pretext of better treatment and strangled to death, police said. The victim, Komal, a resident of Lucknow’s Naka area, had been married for about 17 years to Satyapal Yadav of Kanehta village in Hardoi and the couple had four children.Police said tensions in the marriage had escalated after Satyapal began living with another woman. Komal had moved to Sandila with her youngest child and took up work at a plywood factory, but continued visiting Kanehta to meet her other children.According to investigators, Komal was assaulted at Lalpalpur crossing on Saturday evening after she arrived to buy clothes at the request of her elder son. Local residents intervened and she was admitted to the 100-bed Combined Hospital. Later that night, Satyapal and his younger brother, Satyaprakash, allegedly reached the hospital and persuaded her to leave with them, claiming she would be taken to a better medical facility. Police suspect she was instead taken to Mangolapur forest area, where she was killed.Her body was found in a babul grove on Saturday morning after a village watchman alerted the police. During questioning, Satyapal initially denied knowledge of Komal’s whereabouts and claimed he had gone home and slept around 10 pm, but police said they grew suspicious after finding the couple’s youngest child with him.Investigators reviewed hospital CCTV footage and analysed call detail records and location data. Police said the material placed Satyapal at the hospital and tracked his movement toward the area where the body was recovered, contradicting his statement.The post-mortem found multiple injuries, including blunt trauma to the head, three sharp-force marks on the neck and around 14 injuries across the body. Doctors concluded Komal died of strangulation using a cloth.The case has also shaken the families as Komal and her two sisters were married into the same household. Her elder sister, Lalita, is married to Satyapal’s elder brother Rajesh, while younger sister Khushboo is married to Satyaprakash. Police registered an FIR on a complaint by Komal’s sister and detained Satyapal, booking him and Satyaprakash. CO City Ajit Chauhan said the investigation is ongoing to establish the roles of both accused.
